The night before serving, place the beans into a large pot and cover with water to soak. In the morning, drain the beans. Add them back into the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp. Without draining, remove the bacon from the pan; set aside. Add the onions to the bacon drippings and fry until softened; 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add in the beans, bacon, and onions (along with all those glorious bacon drippings) and stir to combine. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10-12 hours (but seriously, you’d have to start the beans at 4am or something to do that – craziness).

Two hours before serving, turn the heat off and stir. Allow the beans to set, in the crockpot, off the heat until ready to serve (this will give the sauce time to thicken.)